HOUSTON — A herd of orange lingered on the court as an empty Toyota Center sat ablaze with a buzz. Behind the crowd, Kylan Boswell bit his jersey, full of unbridled joy, Illinois had knocked out Houston 65-55 to advance to the Elite Eight.
But this moment, this milestone, this achievement, was never a guarantee.
As good as Illinois looked in its first two tests in the NCAA Tournament, as dominant as the team was and as encouraged as Illini fans felt, droplets of doubt leaked into the coolest of heads
in the Illini fanbase.
It’s a what have you done for me lately kind of league. And Illinois had failed to prove itself against Top-30 teams in the last month-and-a-half, losing its last five Quad I games.
Typically, a thrilling 17-0 run in the second-half would be enough to push Illinois over the edge… but even then, it would be hard to shake how Illinois very recently lost big-time games with sizable leads. Illinois lost four of its last five Quad I games thanks to overtime collapses.
Even with 10 minutes left in the second half, with Houston scoring hardly any points in the first ten minutes of the second half, it was time for Illinois to prove that it could exorcise its second-half demons.
The difference was that it was somewhat surprising that UCLA and Wisconsin in the regular season were as pesky as they turned out to be. There was never a shadow of a doubt that Houston would fight until the very end of the line.
Indeed, Houston would not go away. Illinois failed to execute in spurts of moments… but something about the way this game was unfolding was different. Even if Houston found itself with an 18-point deficit in the second half.
Sound familiar?
The eternal game of tug-of-war begun to swing in Illinois’ favor, in large part thanks to the three-ball. Illinois went 12-for-21 from three, most of them coming in crucial minutes of the second half.
Illinois still held on, unlike its previous five games against this kind of opposition.
Boswell bent but didn’t break under the bright lights
But as much as all signs pointed towards an exhilirating Sweet Sixteen win, the Cougars mustered a 12-2 run facing a seven point deficit with 1:12 left.
It was then time for free throws for Senior captain Kylan Boswell.
He missed three straight.
But then he made two. Even though he missed the last one, it was enough to put Illinois over the edge and punched the Illini’s ticket to the Elite Eight for the second time in three years.
Perhaps his biggest contributions came defensively. In the lowest scoring first half for two of the top offenses in the country, it was Boswell and the Illini that dominated on the offensive glass. Illinois outrebounded Houston 43-34.
Best defensive effort of the season for the Illini.
Avoiding a wake of a lockeroom through a true team effort
Andrej Stojakovic chipped in driving in the paint. Senior leader Boswell was a warrior on the defensive end. Tomislav Ivisic reigned supreme in the paint and The star freshmen were, well, star freshmen.
Freshmen David Mirkovic and Keaton Wagler combined for 27 points.
Even Jake Davis knocked down a big three in the first half. The multiplicity for Illinois coupled with the size advantage proved to be far too much against Houston, even with Houston’s two athletic guards in Kingston Flemmings and Emmanuel Sharp, Illinois had finally learned it lesson.
Illinois proved what they had failed to prove the last month-and-a-half. And it couldn’t have come at a better time.
Illinois will face Iowa in the Elite Eight on Saturday at 5:09 p.m. in Houston.
